Stropping device for razor blades



June 20, 1933. w, G. WALLENBECK 1,914,389

STROPPING DEVICE FOR RAZOR BLADES Filed Feb. 15, 1930 Awe/Wale WILL/4M6. mum/550K ATTOE/VEY Patented June 20, 1933 PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM G. WALLENBEGK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS STROIPIPING DEVICE FOR RAZOR BLADES Application filed February 15, 1930. Serial No. 428,549.

My invention relates to an improved device for stropping safety razor blades on a strop comprising a strip of leather or other stropping material, the stropping device heing constructed to engage the strop in a manner to automatically reverse the blade holder and blade when the direction of movement of the stropping device on the strop is reversed.

I am aware that it has been proposed heretofore to construct stropping devices of the general class referred to, and it is a purpose of my present invention to produce a device of this kind that is much simpler and cheaper tomake than devices heretofore produced for a similar purpose.

My invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawing showing a preferred embodiment thereof, in

which Fig. 1 shows my stropping device in place on a flexible strop tion,

Fig. 2 shows in a view similar to Fig. 1

-the position of the parts assumed for motion of the stropping device on the flexible strop in a direction the reverse of that indicated in Fig. 1,

0 Fig. 3 is a sectional view to an enlarged scale of the strop shown in Fig. 1, taken along the line 3-3, showing the relation of the stropping device thereto,

Fig. 4 is a detail view to an enlarged scale showing the form of metal blank that may be used in constructing the base portion of my stropping device,

Fig. 5 is a detail view to an enlarged scale of a part of a blank that may be used to form the operating member of my improved stropping device,

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a part of the construction shown in Fig. 3, showing the relation of the control finger of the device to the underside of the flexible strop, this for motion in one direcp view being taken along the line 66 in Fig. 3, and

Fig. 7 is an end view to an enlarged scale of the blade holder shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. 5

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, my stropping device consists of a base portion 10 resting on the upper surface of a strop 11, from which base portion an integral control finger 12 extends under said strop, to engage the strop with suflicient pressure so that the resulting friction will cause the operation of the device below described. The base portion 10, has pivotally connected therewith and engaging its upper surface, an operating member 13 which is generally fiat adjacent the base portion 10, and extending therefrom to form a tubular handle 14C for holding and operating the device. The base ortion 10 carries bearing supports 15 and 16 above the operating member 13 to support a shaft 17 for rotary movement of limited extent during operation of the device. The shaft 17 carries a blade holder 18 between the bearing supports 15 and 16, and the blade holder is shown holding a razor blade 19 being sharpened. The shaft 17 also has rigidly secured thereto between the bearing supports 15 and 16, a gear 20 meshing with a row of rack holes 21 in the operating member 13. The operating member 13 is pivotally connected with the base portion 10 by the bearing support 16.

As more clearly shown in Fig. 5, the operating member 13 is provded to receive the bearing support 16, with a circular aperture 22 having end slots 23 extending therefrom longitudinally of the operating member. The holes 21 through the operating member are arranged in an are about the center of the aperture 22, the radius of this are being the same as the distance from the center of the bearing support 16 to the center of the teeth of the gear 20. The handle portion of the operating member 13 is shown at 14a; in the blank illustrated in Fig. 5, as of sufficient width so that when the portion 14a is formed into a tube, the tubular handle 14 is the result.

As shown in Fig. 4, the blank for the body portion 10 has a bearing support 16 extending from one of its ends, said bearing support consisting of a neck 16a of a width substantially equal to the diameter of the circular aperture 22 in the operating member 13, the length of this neck 16a being somewhat greater than the thickness of the metal of the operating member to permit ready assembly of the device and its free operation. At the outer end of the neck portion 16a, the bearing support 16 is made wider than the neck, forming shoulders 1 6?), which, for the assembled condition of the device, engage the upper surface of the operating member 13 adjacent the aperture 22. The bearing support 16 is continued beyond its shouldered portion referred to, and has formed through it a circular aperture 160 to receive and form the hearing from one end of the shaft 17.

The other end of the blank for the body portion 10 as shown in Fig. 4, has extending from it a lug comprising the bearing support 15 which is provided with a circular aperture 15a forming the bearing for the other end of the shaft 17, and from the same end of the blank, a tongue 12 extends, which in its formed condition constitutes the control finger above referred to. T he same end of the said blank also preferably has a poition 10a which may be formed upwardly by bending along the line aa-, to reinforce the body portion in its completed condition.

The blank described in connection with Fig. 4, is formed to constitute the body portion referred to, by bending the bearing support 16 along the line b-b until it extends upwardly from the base portion 10 at substantially right angles; the bearing support 15 is similarly bent along the line -cc to bring the apertures 15a and 160 into alignment with each other, so that the shaft 17 will be substantially parallel with the base portion 10; and the tongue 12 is bent down wardly along the line cc and under the base portion 10 to constitute the control finger 12, the material of the blank having sufiicient spring action so that the finger 12 must be sprung from the baseportion 1O slightly when the strop 11 is inserted between the base portion a-nd the finger 12.

As shown in Fig. '6, the finger 12 is preferably formed with its edges curved away from the surface of the strop 11 engaged by it, so that its engagement and action on and uniform and avoid the abrasion that would occur if the edges of the finger engaged the surface of the strop.

As shown in Fig. 7 the blade carrier 18 preferably consists of two similar plates formed from sheet metal, said plates being .preferably fiat and in contact with each other at their mid portions, and secured together in any convenient manner, for example by spot welding as indicated at 18a. Said portions on one edge, are formed as indicated at 18?) to receive the shaft 17 tightly between them, and at their other edges they are formed into spring gripping members 180 for receiving the razor blade 19 between them, to hold it in stropping position. I

As a result of the construction described, it will be observed that no pivotal connection is provided between the operating member 13 and the base portion 10, excepting that described as constituted by the bearing support 16. It will also be noted that the bearing support 16 serves the two fold purpose of supporting the shaft and also constituting the pivotalconnection between the operbe prepared separately from the main assembly and in any desired quantities in advance of the main assembly, and furthermore there is no need for great accuracy in the subassembly, since the rack holes 21 effectively maintain engagement with the gear 20 in a manner to be described, regardless of the position of the-shaft 17 longitudinally in its bearing supports 15 and 16. In other words, excepting for the engagement between the gear 20 and the holes 21, the shaft 17 and parts carried thereby may be free to IHOVB longitudinally-a considerable amount in the bearing supports 15 and 16, where the shape of the :pivot aperture 22, rest-rains themember 13 from moving longitudinally on the base portion 10. In connection with the main assembly, assuming the blanks to have been formed as described, the lug comprising the bearing support 15 is bent outwardly slightly, the bearing support 16 is inserted through the slots 23, with the base portion 10 extending at substantially right angles to the-operating member 13, until the shoulders 166 are above the upper surface of the operating member, and then the base portion is turned to extend in substantially the direction of the'operating member 13, with the neck 16a in the aperture 22. A shaft assembly is then inserted in the bearing supports, by inserting the end remote from the gear 20 through the hole 160 and then bending the bearing support 15 until it is substantially perpendicular to the base position 10, with the end of the shaft 17 adjacent the gear 20, extending through the hole 15a. It will be observed, that the shaft 17, as illustrated in Fig. 3 must be sufiiciently above the base portion 10, so that the gear 20 will rotate freely, without engaging the surface of the base portion. To maintain the parts in operating relation, the operating member 13 is bent slightly at its mid-portion as indicated at 13a, so that said mid portion rests upon the upper surface of the base portion 10, at the same time that its pivot portion rests against the shoulders 16?) and that the portion adjacent the holes 21 is snugly in engagement with the gear 20. As a result, the gear 20 meshes properly with the rack holes 21 and movement of the device on the strop, operates the gear 20, and notwithstanding the simplicity of the construction, the friction of the operating member 13 on the base portion 10 being a minimum due to its small surface of contact resulting from the construction described. It will be observed that with the pivotal construction described, a certain amount of longitudinal movement of the connected members relatively to each other is inevitable, as long as free relative angular movement of the parts is desired. Furthermore, for free operation of the device, tight fits between the bearing supports 15 and 16 and shouldered portions on the shaft 17 are not desirable, but on the other hand it is desirable that the shaft shall have an appreciable amount of play longitudinally in its bearing supports. The holes 21 co-operating with the gear 20, form a rack and gear construction admirably adapted to meet all of these requirements since any longitudinal movement of the operating member 13 relatively to the base port-ion 10, permitted by the pivotal connection described, cannot disturb the operating rela tion between the gear 20 and its rack, and the permitted longitudinal movement of the shaft 17 in its bearing supports is an advantags in this connection rather than otherwise, in that it insures free rotation of the shaft at all times, regardless of any possible play there may be in the pivotal connection between the operating member 13 and the base portion 10. At the same time, the engagement of the gear 20 with the holes 21, prevents undue longitudinal movement of the shaft 17 in its bearing supports, even though considerable movement of that kind might be otherwise permitted by the construction. In some cases it may be desired to use a form of pivot aperture 22 that will not restrain the operating member 13 from mevement longitudinally of the base portion 10; in that event, it is desirable to place the bearing supports 15 and 16 as close to the gear 20 and carrier 18 as free rotation of the shaft 17 will permit, and for this condition the gear 20 and its rack, prevent movement of the pivot portion of the bearing support 16 from the pivot aperture 22 into any clearance opening that may extend from said pivot aperture.

In using the device as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, movement of the device in the direction of the arrow A in Fig. 1 has a tendency to move thehandle downwardly in advance of the device, on account of the drag of the control finger 12, and this combined with the relation of the parts of the device, inclines the razor blade 19 obliquely to the strop 11, producing an oblique stropping action on the cutting edge of the blade which is to be moved in the reverse direction, as indicated by the arrow B in Fig. 2, the tendency is again for the handle to be moved ahead of the device due to the action of the control finger l2, and this, combined with the relation of the parts of the device, produces a similar oblique stropping action on the other surface of the edge being stropped, and in the reverse direction. The result is an effective stropping of the cutting edge.

From the above it will appear that my stropping device consists of but two pieces in addition to the shaft assembly, that no additional pivot or other parts are required, and that all of the parts may be simply and cheaply made and assembled, without however, sacrificing anything in connection with the effectiveness of the performance of the device.

While I have shown my invention in the particular embodiment above described, it will be understood that I do not limit myself to this exact construction as I may employ equivalents known to the art at the time of the filing of this application without departing from the scope of the appended claim.

That I claim is:

Combined pivot and shaft bearing mechanism for stropping devices for razor blades of the kind including a base portion, an operating member movable relatively to said base portion, a shaft oscillatory in bearings carried by one of said parts, a razor blade holder carried by said shaft, gearing for oscillating said shaft, and a handle extending from the device to move it alternately in opposite directions on a strop, which combined pivot and shaft bearing mechanism consists of a fiat bearing support extending perpendicularly from one end portion of said base portion through said operating member and projecting at its outer end beyond said operating member with its flat surfaces substantially perpendicular to the axis of said shaft, said projecting outer end of said bearing support having an aperture therethrough to receive one end of said shaft to constitute said bearing support a bearing for said shaft, said extended bearing supdesired. Similarly when the device is port having opposite edge notches adjacent said operating member and engaged thereby, and said operat ng m mber having a circular aperture therethrough around said bearing support and of a diameter substantially equal to the distance between the bottoms of said edge notches, whereby said operating member is pivotally connected with said base portion by said bearing support, 16 said circular aperture having opposite extensions therefrom extending transversely of the flat surfaces {of said bearing support to pass said bearing support through said operating member for assembling purposes; 5 In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 3rd day-of February, A, D.

WIL IAM G. WALLENBEGK. 

